Plantain and Cheese Breakfast Tart – Summer in Denmark

A Plantain and Cheese Breakfast Tart is certainly not what you’d call a Dominican dish, but it is built entirely from traditional Dominican ingredients. And it has plantains, so I am pretty confident that when served to most of my compatriots, it will be well-received.

Yeah, we may be a only a tad obsessed with plantains and finding new ways to prepare and serve them. As proof I present to you exhibit one, two, three, four, and… I got tired here and quit. You can see more of our plantain recipes. Good luck in your new plantain adventures.

If you’ve been around for long enough, you’d know that our family travels to Europe nearly every year. We have family here and it’s a great opportunity to try new things. But anyone who has spent time away from “la tierrita” knows that it doesn’t take very long for us to miss our food, however amazing the new — and expensive — culinary adventures we take. It really does not take me long to get to that point.

The further north you go, the harder it is to find anything resembling Dominican food. Sure I already found where to buy plantains and yuca, but trust me, they are every bit as pathetic-looking as you can imagine. “Rabizas”, we despectively call them in the D.R. And yet they taste as amazing as you can imagine; I’ve said it before: “nostalgia is the best seasoning”.

Before I left home I worked on this recipe, the ingredients are fairly easy to find, even here in the cold north, so our readers living far from the D.R. will be able to try it.

And try you should, because this is pretty darn awesome.

You know what else is awesome about this? No oven. Yeah, this is cooked on the stovetop, which means a shorter cooking time, and less heat in the kitchen (perfect for summer). I served it with a salad for lunch and it was a success. The light sweet touch of that one ripe plantain really makes this special.

I can’t wait to get back home and start experimenting with other ways to make this plantain tart.

Buen provecho!

Aunt Clara

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Plantain and Cheese Breakfast Tart Recipe

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

1 hrs 20 mins

 

Plantain and Cheese Breakfast Tart Recipe: Born from my obsession with plantains, a dish that combines many traditional ingredients in a great summer dish.

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Clara Gonzalez

Ingredients

• 3/4 stick [3 oz / 85 gr] of butter at room temperature
• 3 plantains (one ripe, 2 unripe), peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt , divided
• 3 tablespoons of of all-purpose flour
• 4 medium eggs
• 3/4 lb [340 gr] of queso cremita (dry ricotta, or cottage)
• 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley , divided
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly-ground pepper
• 1/2 cubanelle or red bell pepper , seeded and chopped
• 1 large white onion , cut into quarters
• 1/2 lb [227 gr] of white cheddar , grated

Instructions

1. Before starting: Butter a skillet 9" [23 cm] with 1/3 of the butter (1/4 stick / 1 oz).
2. Boiling the plantains: Boil the plantains in enough water to cover them, adding a teaspoon of salt to the water. Once cooked-through (about 15 minutes), remove from the water, discard water and allow the plantains to cool to room temperature.
3. Preparing the crust: Place the plantains, flour, and the remaining butter in the food processor. Puree to a smooth mixture. Place the plantain mixture in the center and carefully press into the skillet until it forms a uniform crust.
4. Preparing the filling: Pulse eggs, queso cremita, 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining salt, freshly-ground pepper, cubanelle, and onion in the food processor until the onion and cubanelle are finely chopped.
5. Assembling: Pour the queso cremita mixture into the skillet. Top with cheddar. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes, the cheddar should be completely melted, cover and cook for another 5 minutes if it isn't. Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes before serving.
6. Serving: Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve warm with salad of your choice for a light lunch or dinner. It also goes great for breakfasts and it's perfect for potlucks.

Notes & Nutrition Facts

You may have to grease your hands a bit to spread the plantain "dough" on the bottom of the skillet.